How To Get Through Lockdown with Your Sanity

With everything happening in the world amid the Covid-19 pandemic and everything shutting down or with reduced access/hours, it can be hard to think about travel at all. While you can't get out and see the world like you want to, it doesn't mean you can't plan for your next trip while you're stuck in the house catching up on every show ever made that you have access to.

Learn a new language

Eventually, you're going to travel again, and when you do, you want to be prepared. This is the perfect time to learn a new language for that dream vacation you plan to take at some point. Check out this list of apps that you could be using right now to learn to speak another language or brush up on one you might have forgotten a bit of.  

Get some new travel goodies

I'll be working on some travel product reviews in the coming weeks. Since your trips are being postponed right now, you aren't spending money there. Sure, you're going to want to save most of that for your next trip(s), but if you've been hoping to get some new gadgets, goodies, clothing or whatnot to make them better, this is the time to do it and also support some smaller businesses. 

Stock your travel bag

I'm using this time to test out a ton of new items, but also to put all that best stuff in my bag for my upcoming trips. Get travel-ready by putting together a complete toiletry bag with all your necessities. This is also the time to get a few extra things you enjoy, like some fantastic undies that you can keep in your carry-on. This is especially important if you hate packing or you're prone to forgetting crucial things, like socks or a toothbrush.

Book things for late summer/early fall travel

You're going to be seeing some really low prices for things like airfare, vacation packages, and cruises, but you want to be careful before you decide to jump on those, because there's no telling how long this travel ban and lockdowns will last. If you already have travel plans that are going to fall through (I have at least one trip that isn't going to be happening), know that airlines and hotels are doing their best to allow you to change your plans with ease. Don't screw yourself by making new plans that might fall through, too.

Make a plan for your next vacation

While you're stuck at home, it's a great time to let yourself think about future trips and plan your next one really well. I mean, it's not like you have much else to do besides your piles of laundry and dishes. Get online and really dig into your chosen destination. You can figure out what you want to do the most and ask friends on social media for their best tips and suggestions. It'll really help you figure out a budget, too. Make a plan for how you will save money to pay for your amazing trip.

Purchase gift cards for future you

Future you is going to travel. If you've got money that you want to spend on travel, but you can't right now, because nobody can, put that money into gift cards for things like hotels, airlines, Airbnb, Disney or whatever. You'll be supporting travel businesses and will be setting yourself up for easier travel later in the year.

Virtually tour some museums

A lot of museums and zoos and aquariums and some National Parks are giving virtual tours and streaming right now. If you've really got cabin fever, this is a great way to get a little out of your head and enjoy the world from your couch. There are also a bunch of other cool things you can learn about online, concerts you can watch, and even learn to cook with a Michelin-star chef! Along with learning a new language, you can inject some international flavor into your life and feel like you're on a mini vacay.

Take a rad staycation

You kind of don't have a choice in the matter now. You can sit on your butt and be sad about life and your state-imposed exile, or you can make the most of it by making your time at home into a staycation. Get out in your yard and watch a movie on a screen or sheet, order take-out for a picnic, throw a mini destination party with your family, break out your tent and camp outside, or even book a few nights into an Airbnb, because they still want your business.

Take a photo walk

Getting outside and taking a walk or a bike ride isn't out of the question. In fact, you'll still be socially responsible while also getting fresh air and exercise. Bring along your camera or snap some with your phone and rediscover your town.

All of these are more fun than just sitting on your couch and complaining about all the things you can't do. What are you most looking forward to during your time of Social Distancing?

2020 Is For the Conscious Traveler

Are you a conscious traveler? With overtourism and travelers who do't eat local when they vacation, it's more important than ever to be aware of your trip choices on every level. Lots of destinations depend on tourism to thrive and I do my best to support the local economy wherever I go. Do you?

So, are you a conscious travler?

Why You Should Visit New Orleans' Sazerac House

New Orleans is steeped in history. In fact, this year is their 300th birthday/anniversary, so you can imagine the stories the city could tell. While the food and some activities can be quite expensive at times, there are many cheap or free things to do, if you know where to find them. One of these things is the new Sazerac House.

Sazerac rye was birthed in New Orleans, as well as bitters. Want to learn all about this whiskey? Sazerac House is a free "museum" that gives the public a history lesson on booze in the city. The building it's housed in is part of history itself. It was an appliance store and then a hat & glove store, then sat vacant for over 30 years. Sazerac House swooped in and took over the bottom three floors of the six, gussied it up, and started a distillery where they make small batch rye. They produce just one barrel a day, which is then aged for six years.

Each bottle is marked with the actual date and sold in the gift shop. I was lucky enough to catch one of the brewers at the end of my tour, and he gave me a quick turn around the small distillery. It has just four cookers and one still. The bottling line is probably around 15 feet long. It's all very compact, but also very streamlined and shiny.

Now that I've skipped to the end of the tour, let me talk about the beginning. You must make a reservation, even though the tour is free. When you show up, you'll receive a funky bracelet that will enable you to sample three different cocktails. You have the option to get your photo taken in front of the gorgeous bottle wall, then you'll take the elevator to the third floor to start and learn about Peychaud's Bitters.

On this floor, you can taste bitters on their own. Now, they are called bitters for a reason. Don't expect them to be sweet or slightly flavored. It's a very concentrated flavor. While we were there, they were not testing bitters, because of the Coronavirus, but we assured the employee that we all washed our hands and were aware of the risks. You see, you taste bitters by them putting a drop on the back of your hand and then you lick them off (similar to salting your hand for tequila shots). The dropper doesn't touch your skin or anyone else's. 

As a group, we tried the general bitters, Xocolatl Mole, and Hellfire. We were all in agreement in our tasting experience. The general bitters tasted a lot like Nyquil/medicine-y, the mole had a great deep flavor that would give a dark chocolate depth to a cocktail, and the Hellfire was very spicy (it's made with habanero peppers), but didn't linger, so you didn't feel a burn in your mouth. 

We then proceeded around the corner and tried the drink of the hour: the Sazerac. This is made with Sazerac rye whiskey, Herbsaint (an anise-flavored liqueur) and bitters. It's a sipping drink and it was delicious. From here, we thanked our bartender and headed down to the second floor. Here we stopped to interact with the virtual bartenders to learn about specialty drinks like the Ramos Gin Fizz. We took some selfies and then strolled through a rum "storage" room, which took us to the next real bartender who made us a drink that was a bit of a twist on a mojito. This drink used Rum and Elemakule Tiki bitters (cinnamon, allspice and island spices) and was fairly tart in my opinion. 

I like rum, but a more simple drink is preferable to me. If you like lemonade, this is probably a drink for you. The hitch on this drink is that it's made with rum that you can only buy at Sazerac House. The tour continues with the story of whiskey in New Orleans, along with tons of different whiskey varieties. You're then face-to-face with your third bartender, who makes you an apertivo called Peychaud's Spritz. 20% of it is Peychaud's Apertivo, which is a bit bitter and can overpower the palette. It's one part apertivo to four parts prosecco or champagne. You can add or omit soda water, though I think it might need it. Annita and I agreed that it wasn't our favorite, but it may have been a bit more palatable with the soda water. 

Your tour ends in the gift shop, where you also have the opportunity to enter the distillery, which I did, because I love to learn about the making process of things. I also was able to talk to the brewer to ask some questions about burning out the barrel and what they do with them afterward, since you can't reuse a burned out whiskey barrel for whiskey. Turns out you can use it for other alcohol, including gin and even wine. This gives an interesting flavor to them that you can't get on its own. It's a great exercise in recycling and reuse. 

So, that's an awesome free tour in New Orleans, just about a block from the French Quarter, which comes with the extra benefit of getting free drinks. It's probably one of the only places in the city that offers absolutely no-strings-attached booze. If you'd like to see more pics and action shots, see my Instagram post.

Have you ever tried a Sazerac cocktail? If so, what did you think?